41 close contacts of first mpox case this year — QC gov't

Metro Manila, Philippines — Forty-one close contacts have been identified for the country’s first mpox case this year, the Quezon City government announced on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

In a news conference, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the patient, who is not a local resident, consulted a dermatology clinic on Aug. 15.

She said the doctor coordinated with the barangay officials to transport the man to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to test for skin lesions.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the patient’s symptoms “started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by findings of a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles.”

The DOH confirmed on Monday that a 33-year-old male in Metro Manila tested positive for mpox, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Test results came out on Sunday.

The agency also said the patient has no travel history outside the country, and is considered a case of community transmission.

Dr. Rolando Cruz, head of the QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said the infected person visited a massage spa four days before his consultation.

He said 41 close contacts were identified, who have not yet developed symptoms to date.

Twenty-eight people, including the masseur and clients, are under self-quarantine for 21 days for monitoring by the city health department after they were exposed to the lesions either through physical or sexual contact, he added.

The dermatologist wore personal protective equipment during the consultation and was not considered a “high-risk” contact.

Belmonte said the spa has been temporarily closed after authorities found it failed to renew its business permit.

The previous nine cases of mpox in the country have recovered, the DOH said. The last case was in December 2023.

The latest detection came after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency for mpox as the disease spreads quickly in Africa.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered agencies to continue monitoring areas and people most vulnerable to mpox.

“Continue surveillance especially on areas and people most vulnerable to the disease,” the president told Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, according to a Malacañang release on Wednesday.